In July, Patrick Beverley was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert deal. As it turns out, he’s not going to play for the Jazz. Instead, Beverley is going to the Los Angeles Lakers where he’ll be teammates with Russell Westbrook.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that the Lakers and Jazz are working on a deal that would send Beverley to Los Angeles for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. The teams are “expected to finalize the deal on Thursday morning.”
Lakers and Jazz are expected to finalize the deal on Thursday morning, delivering Beverley to LA after a brief stayover with Jazz. No picks involved in the deal, per sources. https://t.co/s4FjjrHu4q
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2022
Westbrook and Beverley have been intense rivals for the last decade, regardless of where they’ve played. This is not a friendly rivalry, nor is it a heated rivalry where the players don’t get along but respect the other’s game. Westbrook has made it known that he doesn’t think much of Beverley as a player. Beverley has done the same with Westbrook, as recently as this last season.
Now, they’re teammates. Many in the NBA world made the same joke when finding out about the trade.
Woj: Patrick Beverley is joining the Los Angeles Lakers
Russell Westbrook: pic.twitter.com/Wr6Jmu78uh
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) August 25, 2022
Russell Westbrook when he sees Patrick Beverley in the Lakers locker room pic.twitter.com/zXIf3WtWf4
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) August 25, 2022
Westbrook and Patrick Beverley in training camp pic.twitter.com/pBYrsCztUk
— ً (@JWepp) August 25, 2022
Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook at practice pic.twitter.com/Je0lOhmtuE
— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) August 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/GoIdenState/status/1562645068074299395
Of course, there is one other potential option. This might be an indicator that Westbrook will soon be traded.
This move tells me Russell Westbrook is gone. I can’t imagine a world where he’s on the same team as Patrick Beverley for multiple reasons.
— Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) August 25, 2022
That would line up with recent reports that LeBron James doesn’t want to play with Westbrook anymore. If you’re a fan of the Lakers, a Westbrook trade is probably what you’re hoping for. The situation in Los Angeles was already combustible enough before this trade. Westbrook and Beverley sharing a locker room takes that to a different level. The problem is that Westbrook isn’t an easy guy to trade, especially with $47.1 million coming his way next season.
And if you don’t like the Lakers, you’re hoping that no follow-up trade happens. Heck, if you do like the Lakers but also enjoy NBA drama, you want to see these two as teammates. Beverley and Westbrook on the same team will make the Lakers must-see, regardless of where they are in the standings.
[Adrian Wojnarowski, Mark Gunnels]
